The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the designation of breakthrough therapy to Ofev (nintedanib) for the treatment of patients with sarcoidosis and other types of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The breakthrough designation is given to medications that provide significant advantages over…

I don’t cry often. So, one morning recently, as I stared out of the window at breakfast, I was surprised when tears started streaming down my face. I had been feeling worn out and overwhelmed for weeks, fearing that the life I’ve rebuilt would come crumbling down. I hadn’t felt…

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) significantly reduced disease symptoms in people with sarcoidosis, and helped to reduce their daily dose of corticosteroids, a small study suggests. The study, “Mycophenolate mofetil as an alternative treatment in sarcoidosis,” was published in the…

The current scoring system used to assess the urgency of lung transplants, called LAS (lung allocation score), fails to predict the risk of death in people with sarcoidosis, a single center study suggests. The study “Mortality for sarcoidosis patients on the transplant wait list in the…

Every day that I live with sarcoidosis is full of adventure. Some of those adventures are appointments with various doctors. My two main appointments are checkups with my pulmonologist and my cardiologist. This particular adventure was with…

Cold and flu season is quickly approaching. I find this time of year especially challenging now that I’ve been diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I can’t escape the changing weather and temperatures, but experts say there are ways to boost the immune system. The immune system removes toxins from the…

So … this has been a very “eventful” weekend! Early Sunday morning, I awoke because I was uncomfortable. I couldn’t sleep and was finding it hard to find a position I could rest in. I went downstairs, sat on my couch, and played golf on my…

The past few days have been “blah” for me. I try to remain optimistic despite my sarcoidosis, but sometimes the stuff of life just creeps in. Once things like worry, self-doubt, and skepticism take over, it’s often difficult to see past them. Whenever I find myself feeling this way,…

When I think of the nearly 20 million students projected to attend college this fall, what comes to mind are the freshmen stepping into uncharted territory. As my niece, Jocelyn, put it, “You go from being at the top of your game senior year of high school to being at the…

‘Tis the season to be … well, actually, ’tis my season to be jolly. I love the fall! This time of year reminds me of the new year, except that it’s in the middle of the year. The weather starts to cool down, the kids are…